Safety of digital platforms must amid rapid internet adoption: IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad

Amid rapid digitisation and internet adoption, India must ensure that its digital platforms remain safe and have cybersecurity architecture built into their foundation, with safeguards such as involvement of security auditors, IT Minister Ravi Shankar Prasad said Friday.

Prasad cited India's growing digital clout in the global arena and its thrust on initiatives to spur electronics manufacturing, and said he is also pushing for a software products policy.

"We are working to make India a robust digital economy, because India does not only offer services but also offers a robust consumer base for people to do business in field of IT and IT enabled services," Prasad said after conferring the 'Digital India Awards' to winners in multiple categories.

The minister said that the safety of digital platforms and systems are an absolute pre-requisite.

"Your platforms must be safe and secure and therefore cybersecurity architecture must be inbuilt into your system. You need to have security auditor...there is a need for greater awareness about cybersecurity requirements. If we work along with that, then India's digital power is going to rise," he said.

Prasad said that India with its 130 crore population has the potential to emerge as a big centre for data analytics.

"This data is a national asset and must be put to good use," he said.

-PTI